


Passenger

by twelvepercentofaplan



Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Difficult Decisions, Gen, Gregg needs a hug, M/M, OTP Feels, Sad, Slice of Life, So does Angus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-10 21:56:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10448430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twelvepercentofaplan/pseuds/twelvepercentofaplan
Summary: When Mae returned home, an odd bud of negativity wedged itself in between the lifestyle of the best couple in all of Possum Springs.They're beginning to bicker more.They start to doubt one another.Neither is sure what is wrong and what is right anymore.And as the days go by with the negativity festering, Gregg and Angus are blissfully unaware of how much closer together this week is going to bring them.Or: the events that transpired for eight nights when Gregg and Angus were alone together full of laughter, heartbreak, love, and the occasional pizza.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Did I ever mention that I'm trash for games about sad, deep, dark people? No?
> 
> Well, here we go.
> 
> Just recently I finished Jacksepticeye's playthrough of the phenomenal Night in the Woods. And go figure, Gregg was my main reason for watching. He's loud, rambunctious, an all around gruff guy. And he's got a dark side, an anxiety that breathes down his neck like a predator.
> 
> And he's literally me. He's hella relatable for me on so many levels. I've never seen a character and so quickly decided that I loved them so much.
> 
> So after the game was done, I always wondered what happened when Angus and Gregg went back home at the end of a day in game. Like we play as Mae, and she just goes and watches TV with her dad and all that shit.
> 
> And so it got me thinking: what exactly would happen behind the scenes?
> 
> So it gave me an opportunity to detail things mentioned in game further, like how Gregg says he and Angus have "had some fights". Believe me, I love these two as characters and as a couple. But not all couples are hunky dory.
> 
> That was what was most important to me. That I show them as a real couple. Where even if someone says "That's okay", it isn't really okay. That they love unconditionally. That they aren't afraid to put one another in their place.
> 
> That they care for each other.
> 
> But I'm gonna shuddup for now. But I warn you: this story jumps around a lot. It has continuity, but some of it is a little loose.
> 
> Also they eat a lot of pizza.

The first night after Mae Borowski came back to her hometown of Possum Springs was when the rift started to form.

It wasn't plainly obvious at first. Hell, if anything, this first night seems almost routine for the two. Come home, laugh, cuddle, and then go to sleep. But unbeknownst to the bear or the fox, this night would be the first of many that later embedded a deep layer of drama that neither of them are particularly guilty of.

They just had to learn to get past it.

And so it started with an ecstatic outcry of “I can't believe Mae's back, dude!” late in the night. It comes from a loud mouth in an apartment shared by two hard working animals who are fresh out of band practice and in damn good moods because if the pizza they'd all consumed afterwards.

Greggory Lee struts forward with energetic stomps before he flops himself lazily on the brown couch in front of the TV. “Like dude! Mae is back!” He cries out again, waving his hands as high into the air as he can.

Angus Delaney grins at his boyfriend's statement that he's only heard six times on their way home. He can understand the fox’s excitement, although he never did experience a sort of reunion with an old friend. Bea, Mae, and Gregg were about the only pals he's had in his life, and even than, the only one he was naturally close with was Gregg.

“It is pretty exciting,” the brown bear comments. “Crazy she just showed up outta nowhere.” The bear carefully takes his hat off before precariously balancing it on a nearby rack before approaching the entire sofa that the fox is hogging.

“I know, dude! Haha!” Gregg laughs aloud before moving his legs up so Angus can sit by his feet. “God, its so cool,” he muses wistfully losing himself in thought as he continues on. “Me and Mae have had some hella good times. Knife fights, the school getting caught on fire. Damn, I missed her more than I thought I did.” He nods in Angus’ direction. “Gets really weird not hanging out with anyone besides, like, you.”

Angus raises an eyebrow at the statement, adjusting his glasses. The sentence is an odd way of saying, “It's nice to hang out with an old friend” that Gregg hasn't fully realized yet. Angus understands, but he decides to play dumb for a laugh.

He raises an ear, furrowing his brow slightly at Gregg in fake hurt. “What does that mean? You're sick of me or something?” He doesn't think his serious voice is very convincing, but somehow it just manages to get the intended reaction.

The fox suddenly flips into panic mode, realizing the unintended harshness in his words. He sits straight up, eyes wide. “No, not like that. Worded it wrong. Just meant that it's nice to see her again. Sorry, Angus.” The fox scratches his cheek with one finger, laughing nervously. “Ya-You get what I meant, right?”

Angus laughs. “I know what you meant Gregg. Just teasing you is all.”

Gregg grins. “Good.” Without warning, the tiny fox slides up into the bear’s lap, wrapping his arms around his large, fluffy neck and nuzzling up against the underside of his chin. Angus doesn't refuse. He loves having Gregg close like this, as he should. He's a tiny ball of warmth, affection, and he really,  **_really_ ** smells good due to his new cologne that he'd ordered online. “Coz it don't get better than you, Cap’n,” he adds, giving the bear an award winning grin, followed by a wide yawn.

Angus feels a little bit of a tug on his heart at the nickname. Sure, he may hear it all the time, but it always manages to make his face flush even the tiniest bit. 

Plus the way Gregg just yawned was  **_cute as all hell, holy shit_ ** .

Rising to his feet, he holds Gregg a little tighter, the leather on the fox's jacket creaking with the tightness of the bear’s grip, the bear trudges tiredly off to their shared bedroom, holding the fox bridal style.

“And it doesn't get better than you, Bug.”

 

**_-0-_ **

 

When they return home the night after the party gone wrong, something is off. 

Gregg, who is curled up on the floor leaning up against the couch, can't pinpoint exactly what kind of feeling it is. Maybe disappointment? Irritation? A sense of foreboding, even?

Nonetheless, there's an odd tension lingering in between the sounds of his video game that he's focused on and the smell of microwaved pizza from two days prior.

Yep. Two days prior.

Like, a day before they went with Mae and Bea and ate pizza in the diner.

They eat a  **_lot_ ** of pizza.

“Really sucks Mae got sick. Wouldn't have minded staying at the party longer,” the fox muses as he totally obliterates the head of a large, musclebound demon on the screen, blood sloshing every which way.

Angus, sitting on the seat behind Gregg, looks bored as he watches the nonstop wave of carnage in the screen unfold with every button Gregg pushes. “I mean, it was okay. I didn't think we'd even be there as long as we were.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because literally  **_nothing_ ** was going on. The only people we talked to were each other, Mae, and Bea. Only other thing that was remotely interesting was that douche with the guitar.”

Gregg makes a gagging sound. “Yeah, what a tool. But I mean, I had some fun. Didn't you?”

Angus bites his lip as the question hangs in the air. “I mean… Look, I'm not trying to be a downer, but no,” Angus admits reluctantly. Truth be told, he really hadn't been super keen on the party on arrival. Most of the population were complete strangers and there wasn't anything to really do besides get drunk. And even than, Angus doesn't really drink to get drunk. Neither does Gregg, honestly. “The concept seemed nice, but the execution? It's the equivalent of a wild raccoon digging in a trash can.”

Gregg pauses his exciting campaign on  _ Calamity 3  _ and gives a raised eyebrow. “Sooooo it…?”

Angus puts it plainly out for Gregg to see. “It sucked.”

There's a quick but pregnant pause before Gregg speaks. “I mean, I thought it was okay. Dunno why you think it sucked so bad but… I guess let's just agree not to get our hopes up about a random party in the woods, yeah?” The two silently agree, wallowing in weird tension that they both can feel now. Gregg unpauses the game and shoots a cyber monster straight through the face.

But he pauses a second later, turning to Angus and crying out, “Okay, but  **_seriously_ ** , how dare guitar douche even try to play State Chimps, dude. I wanna smack that idiot and say, “Nah, they’re too good for you and your shitty, splintery guitar.”

A laugh rumbles from the bear. “Gregg?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.

“Love you too.”

 

**_-0-_ **

 

It's late.

10:37.

There's a wooden crate sitting in the living room with a creepy pair of animatronic eyes sticking out of the top, ominously watching Angus and his every move.

And on the carpet is two long, dirty lines that lead from the door and all the way to wear the crate sits. Will they stain? Most likely not. But it's going to take some serious scrubbing to get the dark marks off of the damn carpet.

And Gregg still isn't home.

Or he isn't home  **_as of right now_ ** .

Now Angus doesn't suspect anything really terrible has happened to his silly fox boyfriend. He is well aware that Gregg had made plans with Mae after departing the band practice they'd all attended. He knows Gregg would have somehow made it be known if he were in some kind of trouble.

But before they all departed, which would lead Angus off toward his family business that he was somewhat dreading, he heard one word among Gregg and Mae’s conversation.

“Crimes.”

He didn't like that. He knows Gregg is a rambunctious, energetic punk in the best kind of way. But 'crimes’? What did that mean? Like murder? Like vandalism? Or is it just a silly insider between the long-departed pair of best friends? Still, the brown bear felt immediately stressed upon arriving late in the night and finding Gregg still wasn't home, even though his brain is telling him that the fox is probably okay.

And when Angus is stressed, he does one thing: he cooks.

And yes, it may be 10:38 now on the clock but that isn't going to stop him from making himself some damn good tacos.

Outside the door, there’s an obnoxiously loud humming that catches Angus off guard, followed by the sound of jangling keys.

The door opens a second later.

Angus doesn't poke his head through the kitchen doorway and give a greeting to Gregg like he usually would. He's relieved that the fox is home, but that doesn't take away the hour if stress and sorry he's been under without a word of confirmation that he's all good and just running late.

Plus there's a weird animatronic head in their damn living room.

Like, what the fuck?

The humming gets progressively louder, the sound of footsteps rings on the kitchen tiles joining in on the symphony the fox is creating on his path to see his boyfriend.

“Hey! Angus!” Gregg comes up behind the best and wraps his arms around as far as they can reach around Angus’ form, squeezing as tight as he can. “Tacos? At, like, 11:00? That's awesome.”

Angus doesn't reply to the taco question. Instead he follows up with a question of his own. “Gregg, why is there a giant robot head in a crate out in the living room?”

“Ohhhhh.” The fox gives a shy laugh, releasing the bear from his grasp and going into the living room to inspect said robotic head in a flurry of orange fur. “Well, me and Mae found it! There was a bunch but she said the frog was the coolest. So we brought that one home.”

Angus blinks, remaining silent for a moment, the only sound being the sizzling of the meat in the pan. “Okay, but why is it in our living room?”

“Because I didn't have anywhere else to put it,” Gregg answers plainly, 

Angus gives a gruff sigh, turning off the stove before he immediately begins to fill his tortillas with the meat. “Gregg, look, I know it's exciting to have your friend back but you can't just bring garbage back home just because.”

“We didn't find him in the garbage, dude.”

“Than where else could a dirty frog head come from?” the bear retorts, piling his taco high with cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce.

“Uh, from Food Donkey?” Gregg retorts like the bear should know damn well where it came from.

“Food Don-”

Angus suddenly feels his stress and confusion be replaced by irritation. Holding his plate in one hand, he heads into the living room, where Gregg sits on the couch with his laptop open. “You went and broke into an abandoned grocery store?” Angus sounds a lot more angry than he really is.

But it gets the intended reaction. Gregg, taken aback by Angus’ tone, gives him a wide-eyed look. “Angus, you make it sound like I totally ran someone over with a car and just drove off. We were just screwing around. And I thought it'd be cool! Like-”

“Gregg, like I said, I get it, but you can't just be doing these sort of things all of a sudden. It's unethical and you could get into trouble.” Angus is right and he knows it. There should be no arguing against his logic. “And besides, if we're going to move to Bright Harbor like we planned, you can't be off doing these sorts of things at all, especially around that area.”

But Gregg, being the true rebel he is at heart, doesn't give in. His ears tense up and fall onto the back of his head as he folds his arms across his chest. “Dude, I haven't gone out and done something like that in a while. And it's not gonna hurt anyone. Literally no one goes out to Food Donkey as it is. No one cares about that place.” The fox gives a huff before his rant ensues. “All I've done lately is work and do stuff with you.”

Angus rolls his eyes and furrows his brow, this time for real.

“Which is fine!” Gregg continues. “You know I love you and don't mind it just being me and you, but Mae's my best friend. And I dunno, I'm just…” The fox trails off leaving his thought unfinished as he begins to type on the keyboard.

Angus is trying to be understanding but he can't bring himself to do it.So instead of continuing to argue with Gregg, he simply heads into their shared room, plate of tacos in hand. He turns around and points to the gray streaks on the carpet. “I'm not cleaning that up.”

The door closes a moment later with a soft click. And Gregg is left alone to his devices, which involved actually deep cleaning the carpet that he'd so shamelessly gotten covered in box filth.

About an hour after the end of their little fight, Gregg slipped into bed with the bear who snores so loud that he could wake up the entire apartment complex if not for the sake of walls. He settles in, not bothering to even cuddle up to his boyfriend. Gregg knows he doesn't deserve to have any sort of affection right now and that Angus definitely isn't in the mood, even if he is totally passed out.

Instead, the fox gazes up at the ceiling.

It's going to be one of  **_those_ ** nights.

 

**_-0-_ **

 

“Ow, ow, ow, ow.” The water in the bathroom tap runs on the perfect mix of hot and cold, but it still hurts as it runs down his cut up right hand.

Maybe the knife fights, as wonderful they are in terms of nostalgia, really aren't as great as he remembers.

The cuts aren't deep or severe, but with twelve or thirteen of them all screeching out in pain at the sudden feeling if liquid cascading down, Gregg is starting to regret the knife fights a bit. Was it really worth it? Maybe. He hadn't hung out with Mae the night before. She and Bea were off fixing a furnace or something. Maybe the knife fight was a way to make up for lost time; doing something extreme to make up for one day of not hanging out with the feline. 

He did have fun, having gotten in quite a few licks on Mae as well. But the cat is faster than she looks.

“Sonuvabitch,” the fox spits in pain, turning the tap off with his unwounded hand and drying off the drenched paw with a nearby hand towel. The caked blood on his fur has rinsed off but the cuts beneath are still fresh. He groans, reaching out and opening the mirror and grabbing a roll of fresh bandages that immediately catch his eye.

Slowly, he begins to wrap his hand up in An awkward maneuver. He holds the bandage with the thumb on his wounded hand, unraveling the gauze with the other slowly. “Alright. Just gotta go slow.” He begins to wrap his palm as best and slowly as he can, the back of his hand being where he took the most damage. “Juuuust gooooo-”

And of course he drops the gauze, his wrap job falling away with the roll.

Gregg whines, “Aww, c’mon,  **_DUUUDE_ ** .”

“What's the problem?”

Gregg jumps a foot in the air out of surprise at the sudden sound of Angus’ voice. “Oh. Didn't hear you come home, Angus,” he greets, hiding his sliced up hand behind his back.

It's a surprise Angus even spoke to him at all. Angus had a shift run later than usual at Video Outpost 'Too’, leaving Gregg alone until the bear came home.

But when ten o’clock rang around, the bear simply entered their home, told the fox that was keenly focused on his video game he was going to bed, and then didn't say another word. Even when Gregg went to join him in bed not long after, the sleepy bear just turned over.

He was clearly still agitated with him.

And Angus probably still is.

“Probably because you're running the loudest tap in the whole apartment complex and yelling about bandages.” Angus picks up the bandage and begins to roll it back together. But he stops midway, eyes squinting from behind his round glasses. “Is there blood on this?”

“Uh, no,” Gregg answers a little too quickly.

Angus breathes a hot breath out of his nose. “Gregg, give me your hand.” He nods toward the appendage hiding behind the fox’s back.

“Why? There's nothing-”

“Greggory Lee, please.”

The fox gives a huff. Angus only uses his full name when he's dead serious. Arguing with him now is the same thing as jumping into a spike pit and expecting to survive. So Gregg holds out his hand to the bear, looking away bashfully.

Immediately, Angus is shocked by the sight. “Shit. How'd this happen?” Taking up the orange paw carefully, Angus inspects the tiny slashes on the back of Gregg’s hand, brushing through his tiny furs carefully. “Can still smell the blood… these are fresh...

“Well, um… me and Mae kinda… well…”

When he hears the name of the town-famous cat, the bear grimaces. “Of course.” A moment later, he grabs up the same hand towel Gregg had dried his hand on before opening the mirror. He takes up a brown bottle of alcohol that makes Gregg hiss when he sees it.

Angus nods in the direction leading out if the cramped bathroom. “Come on. Let's go out here. This'll be easier for me to do with better lighting and with more space.” The bear lightly tugs on the fox’s skinny arm, leading him out into the living room before the two both take a seat right dead center of the room.

“I cleaned the floor, Angus. Didja see?” Gregg gestures to where the dirty streaks once stained the carpet. Now there was no trace of them whatsoever, as if the marks were never there. “I mean, he's still there, but…” 

Clearly,  **_He_ ** is the monster that Gregg brought home from the escapade the night before. And he is still there, watching from his shitty little crate.”

“Yeah I saw. Hold your hand out and be still.”

Gregg does as instructed, watching as Angus carefully folds the hand towel as small as he can before carefully putting the rubbing alcohol onto the rag.

“Okay I'm gonna do this. Please don't overreact, dude.”

Gregg snorts. “I'm not gonna- **_ohmygodohmygodohmygod_ ** .”

Angus would laugh at the irony, but he's too intently focused on not getting anything on the carpet.

Gregg hisses. It's not an intense pain but again, they all yell out at once like pins digging into his skin.

“You okay?” Angus asks.

Gregg, eyes squeezed closed, nods up and down. “Yeah. Just hurts.”

“Was it worth leaving work early to… do whatever it is you two did?”

Gregg opens his eyes and blinks a few times. “How did-”

“I came by the Snack Falcon to grab something to drink. You weren't there. The owner was instead.”

Gregg sits in silence, somewhat dumbfounded and not knowing what to say. “I… um… I don't… no.” He shakes his head slowly, answering honestly. “No. It wasn't worth it.”

The bear removes the alcohol rag, using the dry end to dry off any excess before he takes up the gauze. “Thought so.” He slowly begins to go around Gregg's hand, careful not to jolt suddenly and cause any further pain.

They sit in a silence for about half a minute Gregg running through his thoughts at a mile a minute as his boyfriend addresses his wounds. But why is Angus helping him? He's a complete idiot. He went out and cut up his hand just for the sake of having a good time with Mae. It was stupid. Angus knows it was stupid, too.

So why is he fixing his wounded hand?

“Angus, if you're mad at me, why are you helping me with this?”

It's a fair question on Gregg’s part. Angus could very well just leave the fox to figure this out for himself. But for some reason, he didn't do that. He helped without even having to be asked.

The bear looks up at Gregg, stopping for a second to look him in the eye and speaks.

“Because I love you. I don’t mean to come off as mad, Gregg. Because I'm not. I'm just worried is all.”

“Worried about what?”

“About you. First the frog head stealing, and now you're hand is all cut up from…?”

Gregg hesitates. “Knife fights.”

Angus sighs. “I just don't want it to get worse. Like yeah, you stole a frog head from Food Donkey and nothing else came of that. But you come back tonight with sliced up fingers and shit.”

The fox swallows hard at the thought as the bear finishes his job, tucking the gauze tightly into itself at the wrist area.

“There. Just gonna need some Band-Aids for the fingers…” The fox opens his mouth to announce that he's willing to grab them, but the bear is already on his feet and heading toward the cabinet where they're kept. He returns a second later with about five, all multicolored.

“Saw about five cuts total between all of your fingers,” Angus explains, ripping the paper holding the blue sticker within before taking the white peeling off the back.

“Yeah. She got me good.”

“You got her back though, right?” Angus questions playfully, carefully wrapping it around the longest cut on Gregg’s forefinger.

The fox chuckles. “Course.”

A minute later, the job is done. Gregg’s hand is now wrapped in white gauze, and each of his fingers and thumb are now a rainbow, a different color on each of the appendages. He inspects it closely, smiling a little at how well put together the bear made it.

“Thanks, babe.”

Angus smiles, ears perking up and all. Gregg just wants to kiss this loser every time he does this, and this time is no different.

The bear adjusts his classes and clears his throat. “Of course. And I’m sorry I was so… short with you yesterday. And the day before. I just was… overwhelmed is all.”

“I know. But I, um, I’m sorry, too. I should've put the frog somewhere else or like, told you about it beforehand.” Gregg reaches out and takes up Angus’ massive paw in his own. “And don't you worry, Cap’n. Me ‘n you are on this road for life. We're gonna get our place in Bright Harbor. No old friend of mine is gonna change that. I'm your passenger for life.”

Angus wants to believe Gregg, he really does. He knows the fox is being sincere, but can he really be sure that Gregg is going to hold up?

Angus shakes away his doubt. “I'm glad. Just… figure out something to do with your bastard son.” Angus points toward the box where the frog watches from afar. “He's creepy and I don't like him.”

Gregg laughs before leaning forward and pecking Angus on the nose with a kiss.

“Not a problem.”

That night, the two slept well.

But Angus still felt unsure...

 

**_-0-_ **

 

“Ahhhh!” The outcry doesn't come from Gregg, shockingly enough. But the does come from the apartment. On the TV plays a fairly popular, very 90’s horror movie that the pair loves called  _ Screech _ .

They've seen it a hundred times, but neither the bear or fox tire of watching the ghost faced killer harass people over the phone before trying to stab them with a knife.

“Dude, I'll never get why she runs up the stairs right here,” Gregg comments. “Like, her exact words to him on the phone just were all about how you shouldn't run up the stairs in a horror movie.”

“Yeah, I mean, where do you go from there  **_without_ ** a ladder?” Angus agrees.

“C’mon, Sid,” the fox mutters before letting out a wide yawn. “Yeesh. Tired.”

“Hard day at work, Bug?” Angus asks, pulling the fox closer into his side.

Gregg rests his head on the bear’s chest. “Eh, not really. Just a long day in gener. Most activity I had at work was when Mae came by and she smashed those old, long light bulbs no one bought.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah. Old bulbs. Taking up space. And like, no one came in for an hour coz of Harfest,” Gregg explains. “So we took 'em out back and she broke them with a baseball bat.”

“Aaaand why did you do that?”

“To pass the time. Don't worry, it's no big deal.”

Angus squints his eyes. He doesn't continue the conversation, but he feels his doubts from the night before starting to rise a bit higher.

“Oh shoot! This is the part where he almost breaks into her room, dude!” Gregg yells out.

Angus just forgets his doubt for the time being and focuses on  _ Screech _ .

But after the film ended and the two lay in bed, Gregg passing out surprisingly fast, the spark of doubt turned into a flame in Angus’ chest.

But the next night?

The doubt was like a werewolf on the night of a full moon.

 

**_-0-_ **

 

Of course they have a flat just as they're trying to go to Donut Wolf.

And of course it's going to be when the tensity between the two of them is palpable.

And Mae was also in the car for the duration of the awkward tension. She even commented that Angus had been pretty quiet for a long while as he drove behind the wheel. Even when Gregg's ecstatic voice yelled about pancakes, the bear kept a blank slate on his face.

Gregg didn't even know what Angus’ problem was. He had seemed fine last night. But his agitated retort of, “Okay, yes, pancakes,” to Mae's joking was very… Off.

And now, of course, with Angus in a bad mood they're going to be stuck out here with a flat tire.

“Because it's a flat. You don't drive on a flat,” the bear remarks smartly, giving Gregg a smug look.

“Why?” the fox asks.

“Yeah, why?” Mae pipes up

Is he serious? Are  **_they_ ** serious? Angus can't believe what he's hearing. A low growl rumbles in his throat before suddenly he clenches his fists and yells out.

“You just don't! It messes up the wheel or something!”

“How do you know so much about cars?” the feline asks.

“We can fix it!” Gregg offers hopefully, giving a shrug and a smirk. He may not know much about vehicle repair, but he’s willing and ready to help.

Angus snorts. “With what? We gonna get some sticks?”

Mae snickers quietly. “ **_That's_ ** silly.”

Gregg grins, scratching his chin in thought. “No, I mean… People fix tires! It's a thing people do!”

“It's a thing people do,” the brown bear growls behind clenched teeth, a vein nearly popping out of his skull, “when they have a goddamn tire!”

Gregg doesn't like that. The little smirk on his face fades fast, his brow furrowed. He crosses his arms tightly across his chest, his eyes practically boring holes into the bear. What the hell's his deal?

Mae doesn't like what she sees. She knows what's about to happen. “Guys…”

Gregg ignores his best friend’s wary word meant to cool them down. “Why are you being such a dick?”

It hurts. Angus isn't going to deny that. Gregg rarely swears at Angus when they have any sort of argument, and while dick is pretty mild for the fox, it's a curse word nonetheless.

But the pain fuels his anger, much like his doubts from the night before. “Why am  **_I_ ** the one that has to be the responsible one?!”

“Guys!!” Mae yells over the chaos.

Angus turns back towards her. “What Mae?!” It's a loud tell, one that actually makes Mae take a couple steps back.

Gregg  **_really_ ** doesn't like that. “Don't yell at Mae!”

And  **_of course_ ** they're going to have an argument right now.

They hear Mae say something about wandering around, but neither member of this couple care at all. They both just yell out ”Fine!” before they get in deep.

“Dude what the hell?!” Gregg yells out. “Why are you so ticked off?”

“Because of  **_course_ ** this would happen. Of  **_course_ ** we'd get a flat,” Angus spits.

“Angus, yeah, it sucks. But what the hell? You've been weird all day. Mae even told me you acted kinda short with her earlier to-”

“Oh, Mae, Mae, Mae. That all it's about now? Even when we have a flat tire and I’m trying to think? What next? Mae and you going out and doing some stupid shit?!” Behind his glasses, Gregg can see the bear has glassy, watery eyes. “Maybe next you guys can rob my job and it'll just be so hilarious since you're suddenly a fucking criminal.”

Gregg blinks in shock at the cruelty. A criminal? Is that really how Angus sees him nowadays? 

“You better shut up with that shit, Angus,” the leather clad fox replies, trying to hide the choking sound in his voice. “You don't get to say that to me.”

Angus shakes his head, astounded by Gregg's words. “But you can do whatever you want, no matter how it hurts  **_me_ ** ?”

Gregg stops talking his mouth hanging slightly agape. “Angus…”

“Just stop. Let me think for a-”

Suddenly, their tiny feline companion pushes between them, seizing the civil war momentarily. “So what are we doing?” Mae asks, looking between the two teary eyed, angry animals.

“Well,” the grumpy bear begins roughly, “I'm trying to figure out what we're gonna do.”

Gregg swallows over the lump in his throat. “We could fall… someone,” he offers. 

“Oh, do we still carry phones? Because there's magically signal now?” Angus’ tone is snobbish and mocking as he looks happy boyfriend dead in the eye. “In this  **_piece of shit town_ ** ?”

Gregg's lip quivers, and he looks away in embarrassment. “Geez…”

“Okay, well…” And there goes Mae again, sliding out of the way of both of them.

After she's out of earshot, Angus continues on with his boyfriend. He removes his glasses and dries his eyes with his sleeve. And then he begins speaking sternly to Gregg instead of outright yelling. “Gregg, you don't get it. One night you tell me all about how you’re… what did you say?”

“That I was your passenger. For life.” Gregg follows suite and wipes his eyes quickly on the leather sleeve. “And I meant it, Angus. I-”

“Yeah. And then the next day you're out busting damn light bulbs with Mae just for shits and giggles. Just doing some shit that could get you in trouble.”

“Angus, I-”

“Don't. I don't wanna hear it anymore.”

Gregg sniffs. “S’not like that. I'm not trying to-”

“Hey, dinguses!”

Both Angus and Gregg turn in the direction of Mae, who sits with the trunk wide open. “What?” the two say in unison.

She points a clawed finger toward the open hatch. “There's a spare tire back here.”

“Oh. Oh nice!” Gregg says.

“That's one good thing…” Angus grumbles.

“Anyone know how to, like, do the tire?” Mae asks the pair.

“Yeah,” the bear answers plainly.

“Can I help?” Mae asks.

“No.”

“ **_Dude_ ** ,” Gregg sighs at the bear's sharp shoot down of Mae’s query.

The bear turns on his heel towards Mae, taking in a sharp inhale. “Mae, you're not a bad person. But I do not trust you with any part of this process.”

Gregg grimaces at that, pulling his jacket around himself a little tighter as a cold breeze picks up.

“Geez, man,” the cat grumbles.

“Geez…” Gregg quietly agrees, looking back as Angus meets his gaze.

And the sadness in his eyes, now that neither of them are yelling at each other, is heartbreaking. Neither of them have had a fight like this. The extent of their arguments is stuff like the animatronic head in the box or deciding which place to go eat at when they don't want pizza.

But Gregg doesn't like seeing the pain he's caused Angus in his eyes.

And he knows that somehow, someway, he needs to prove to Angus that he wasn't just saying words to make him feel better in the moment.

He wants this road for life.

 

**_-0-_ **

 

The ride home from dropping Mae back off at home is mostly silent up until they park the car in front of their apartment complex.

Neither of them speak. They just sit after unbuckling their seat belts, listening to the quiet song playing on the radio station as they gaze up at the blue sky adorned in white stars.

“I'm glad you let me come with you guys to take the frog somewhere.”

Gregg shrugs. “No problem.”

“And…” Angus adjusts his glasses, leaning back a bit in his seat. “What you said to Mae…” Gregg is shocked to feel Angus taking his hand up and holding it tightly. “It meant so much to me. I'm shocked that you just kind of pulled that out of your ass.

The fox sniffs. “I told you I meant what I said. And I had to prove it to you somehow.” Gregg slumps over, sniffing the nice air coming from the cracked window. “Angus, I know I'm difficult. I know I'm on bad behavior like 90% of the time and you don't get it. But I really don't mean to be a shit person.”

“You're not a shit person.”

“But… I know that. I'm just trying so hard to be good for you and…” Gregg sighs, hiding his face from Angus. “I'm sorry for calling you a dick. Didn't get to properly apologize for that.”

“Bug. Don't say that. You are good enough for me. You're the best you could be for me.” Angus holds Gregg's face lightly and turns it so their eyes meet. “And don't apologise for telling the truth. I kind of was a dick. I shouldn't yell at Mae. I shouldn't call you a criminal. You're hardly qualified to be a criminal. All you do is break shit and vandalize old grocery stores.”

Gregg snickers lightly at that.

“But you have to understand my stress. I'm not like you in the regards of doing crimes and stuff. I don't fully understand it.”

“Yeah, I know…” Gregg sighs.

“But you're antics don't make me love you any less. Your flaws are what make you a person. And you're a great one of those, Gregg.”

The fox is flustered by that. “You think so?”

Angus gives that hilarious, adorable smile, ears perking up as he smiles with his lips. “I know so.”

Gregg just couldn't help but hug the shit out of Angus after that. He squeezes the bear's fluffy neck as tight as he can, and gives a laugh when a fun guitar riff picks up on the radio.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Youngblood. By Daybreak Grey. Our song.”

Angus playfully rolls his eyes at the fox. “Indeed, it is.”

Always a song that catches Gregg’s ear, even in a deep conversation.

 

**_-0-_ **

 

A cult.

That was what it was.

It was a god damn cult.

That's what happened to Casey.

He didn't take a train without another look over his shoulder.

He was thrown into an endless out by a god-damned cult that sat in the abandoned mines of Possum Springs.

Gregg sits on the loft bed, knees pulled closely to his chest, wearing only a pair of dark, tight jeans with torn knees, eyes wide and staring at the blank wall across from him. He's just gotten out of the shower, fur ruffled from drying himself off with the best towel he could find.

Well, second to the one he left for Angus, who was currently using the shower as well.

He didn't care. He wanted Angus to have the best.

“They killed Casey…” he murmurs, shuddering again at the sentence he's spoken to himself every few seconds. And why?

Because he was, in the terms of the cult’s speakers, not worthy of the gift of life.

He was a juvenile delinquent, one who broke into cars and ran amok with foul words and smoked cigarettes. He was a rebel without a cause, one who was apparently well on his way to death nonetheless.

And Gregg?

Gregg thinks he himself is a juvenile delinquent, one who runs amok yelling out whatever, who breaks into old grocery markets, and who smoked like one time. He never did it again though. They're an expensive habit. 

He's a rebel with an odd cause, a cause well worthy of his love.

A cause named Angus.

So does he deserve to be tossed into a pit to please some God?

He can't be sure, even though is intentions for his life are pure and unwavering at this point.

He swims in this dark, scary ocean of terrifying thoughts for as long as Angus takes in the shower. And that's roughly twenty minutes, a but longer than Gregg had taken.

But when the bear enters the room and climbs up next to Gregg, the fox feels relief begin to slip over him slowly.

“They killed Casey,” Gregg repeats, this time actually having someone to tell it to. “Angus, holy shit. They killed him.”

“I know.” The bear sits as close to Gregg as possible, a massive paw reaching out and planting itself onto Gregg's back. It goes up and down in a soothing motion a moment later, an attempt on Angus’ part to soothe Gregg’s worries. “I can't believe it either.”

“Because he was a… bad guy. A delinquent.”

“And he was,” Angus confirms, before quickly adding, “but he was like you. He never had the intent of harming anyone or anything. He was just a free spirit. He just wanted to live as he saw fit.

**_Just like Gregg_ **

“Just like… me.” Gregg blinks, looking to Angus without moving his head. “Angus?”

The bear rumbles a, “Hm?”

“Am I… a good person? Like, do you think I deserve to be thrown into a pit?”

Angus blinks in surprise. “What? No. Why would I?”

“Because… god dammit.” Gregg presses his snout between his knees. “I know we're over the fights we've had, but I just wanna be sure that I'm doing okay. Because, well…”

Angus pulls Gregg into his side, planting a kiss on top of his head. “Don't think like that.”

The fox continues anyways. “Sometimes I just lay in bed with you and think about how I'm just bad news. And this has been a thing forever, not just coz Mae popped back up. I think about how I'm garbage and the worst possible person for you. But you sit here and tell me you need me. Even last night you said that, after all the trouble I've caused you the past week. Even after I brought home a stupid frog head and after I cut my hand up for no fucking good reason.” Tearfully, the fox looks to his boyfriend and begs the question, “Why the fuck is that, Angus? You could have anyone else.” His gaze shifts downward toward the bed sheets. “So why me, why Gregg Lee? Why the piece of garbage who is loud and rowdy and bound to end up at the bottom of that fucking pit with Casey? Why?”

The bear frowns. “Gregg.” 

The fox doesn't look up. 

“Gregg, look at me.”

Gregg still doesn't oblige. He just lets out a sob and wipes his eyes.

He's crying.

Angus can't believe that. While he and Gregg have had their trials and tribulations, much like how the past few days have turned out, the bear had never once seen Gregg cry out of sadness. Out of pure laughter? Every day. He's always got something on his mind that makes him laugh to the point that tears poke out of the corners of each of his eyes.

But to see his significant other in such emotional stress that he's resorted to crying is just… shocking.

Gregg shouldn't be this broken up.

“Gregg, please.”

Finally the fox looks up and meets the bear’s loving gaze.

And a second later Gregg is pulled forward gently and trapped in a kiss instigated by Angus.

It feels nice. It feels safe. Gregg feels a warmth in his stomach, and somehow knows that everything is gonna be okay, despite Angus not telling him in long words and sentences.

This kiss is just… comforting.

When Angus pulls away a few moments later, he wipes away the trails of tears that stream down the fox’s orange furred cheeks before he gives Gregg the answer the fox knows he was going to receive deep down under his bubbling insecurities and stresses.

“I couldn't have anyone else because I don't want anyone else.”

Gregg purses his lips. “I'm… I'm…”

Angus just smiles and opens his arms wide. “C’mere. Cry it out, Bug.”

Gregg doesn't hesitate. A second later his head is buried deep in Angus’ shirt, quiet sobs coming from his tiny, shaky form as he dies exactly as Angus told him. And the bear just lets it happen. He does his best to relax the sobbing mess that is his boyfriend, stroking him starting at the top of his head and ending at the end if his spine. He can feel the shakiness fading and the sobbing growing quieter. Gregg holds in tighter, sniffling all the while he curls closer into Angus, and whispers the last words he'll say all night.

“I love you so damn much.”

It's not long after that Gregg’s sobs stall and they are replaced by light snores. With a smile on his face, Angus lays the fox down on his side of the bed carefully before he also flops down, pulling the blanket over the two of them and pulling Gregg close once again.

Angus didn't expect tonight to happen the way it did.

And he didn't expect to make it out alive of the situation.

He expected the entourage to suffocate and die miserably.

But nope.

Here they are. Gregg curled into his side as they lay in bed together like any other night.

The bear sighs and laughs to himself.

“Good to be alive.”

 

**_-0-_ **

 

“I can't believe Mae actually killed it on the bass today.”

“Yeah. She's getting better. Maybe soon we can play an actual place like Taco Buck.”

Gregg laughs at the notion, flopping himself out onto the couch. “Duuuuude, not a bad idea. Dunno if they'd be down. But we could totally ask.”

Angus hangs up his hat on the rack, as routine goes, before heading over to the couch. Gregg, again, moves his feet up so the bear can sit.

Angus takes the seat and falls deep into the cushion, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he takes in the softness of the cushions. “God. What a week we've had.”

“For real. Nearly screwed up our routine,” Gregg jokes.

“Routine?”

Gregg raises an eyebrow. “Oh? You didn't notice it?” Angus shakes his head. “Oh. Well, we work, maybe get food, maybe see Bea and Mae, come home, laugh, cuddle, and sleep.”

The bear snorts. “Huh. You’re right. Instead lately it's been a lot of chastising and mystery solving.”

“And yet somehow work remains on our list of shit to do, even on a wonky life routine,” Gregg muses. “Could use a proper break.”

At the mention of 'break’, a light bulb dings above Angus’ head. “Gregg?”

“Yeah?”

“I've been thinking about a break too. Do you think maybe we could go somewhere? I know we're saving money for our new place but… a few days vacation won't put us back much.”

The fox shoots up, ears standing on end, clearly excited by the opportunity. “Aw, dude. We could go camping or something. We never did have a proper holiday as a couple, did we?”

“Not really,” the bear confirms. “And after all that we've been through, we deserve it.”

“Yeah, we do.”

And again, as routine goes, the fox hops up into the bear's lap, wrapping his arms around his neck and snuggling in close. “And there's no damn way we're gonna back out of this plan, right?”

“Nope.”

“Good.”

The bear chuckles, which puts him in the end of a confused grin on Gregg's part.

“What's funny?”

“That you didn't try to convince me to let Mae and Bea come along.”

“Eh.” Gregg shrugs. “I love 'em both to death but…” The fox pats the bear's big chest with his still healing hand. “I just wanna be with you for a bit. I feel like we need time to ourselves. And ya wanna know why?”

“Why?”

“Coz if doesn't get better than you, Cap’n.”

And again, there's that tug on his heart again. Angus just can't resist it.

“And it doesn't get any better than you, Bug.”

And despite everything that had happened, everything was alright at the end of the night, the two sleeping peacefully in one another's arms.

No cultz, no troubling thoughts, no argument to be had.

Just a fox and a bear in one another's passenger seats for life.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaand that's it. Probably the only NITW story you're gonna get outta me.
> 
> Few quick notes/Easter eggs:
> 
> \- The title comes from the Bentley Jones song of the same name. That one and (Show Me Your) Scars were big inspirations for this one. Go listen to 'em in YouTube.  
> \- Calamity 3 - Knock off of Doom 3. I love Doom. It's a great game series and I just wanted to give it a shout out here.  
> State Chimps - Renaming of the awesome band 'State Champs'. Imagine a band of pop punk monkeys and that's it, that's the group.  
> \- Screech - Knock off of my favorite movie Scream. Best movie. 10/10.  
> \- Gregg is such an easy character to right, and even Angus is even though he was a little more challenging. Hope I did both if them justice.  
> \- Youngblood by Daybreak Grey - Meant to be this world's Green Day. I called the band Daybreak Grey coz it sounded cool. And the song is still the same. Youngblood is a great track that totally fits these two idiots.  
> \- it was important to me that I portray them as a real couple. So like they bicker quite a bit, but they still care enough to try to mend the situation. They both say harsh things in fights and neither of them is right for that, even if Gregg is irresponsible and even if Angus is under pressure. But they both still end up saying sorry. There are always flaws in a relationship and i didn't plan on ignoring them here.  
> But at least they're sweet to each other 90% of the time.
> 
> Comments are appreciated. If anyone has any other ideas for a NITW story featuring these two, suggest 'em. I'd love to write Gregg and Angus again soon and hopefully add Bea and Mae further into the mix! :)


End file.
